P P P P P

Preparation and Planning Prevents Poor Performance

That's the current workroom mantra.  I'm doing my half of the preparations for the Card Marathon which has come suddenly upon us.  Indeed, this means that next weekend is the last weekend of September.  Don't ask me how that happened - I had my back turned too! 

Every surface is gainfully employed with erm, stuff.  Scrap Lady Ally and I make 12 cards each and kit each card for repeating by 20 odd people.  I don't mean odd people.  I mean 20 odd. This is the *ahem* cutting station chez workroom.  It's currently home to the basket of Christmas stamps and a storage box filled with bits that I've 'set aside' over the last month because I've learned that when I need them for PPPPP week, I won't be able to find them. Because I haven't learned to put things away in a properly designated way.  

The workdesk is where the counting and sorting go on.  Currently it's filled with envelopes and pre-scored card blanks.  This will change as the day wears on.  It will become filled with regular Christmas card making stamping paraphenalia.  Because  I've learned that I don't count to twelve terribly well.  I only have eleven cards ready for the Marathon.  Luckily, I was tempted to buy a beautiful new stamp when I was at Shopkeeper Gal's on Thursday.  See, I've also learned how to justify my impulse purchase. I'm working on the justification for the Kraft crepe paper, the Stickles in fab new colours, the new harlequin printed kraft 12 x 12 ...you get it.
I have learned though, that you can't immerse yourself in what appears to be a shambles without having first a solid and relatively ordered foundation.  After all, PPPPP isn't really just for this week. (*ahem*).

Ta Na. It's pretty orderly.  The top shelf is photo quality and other printer papers that are accessed by others..which is why it's all just shoved in.  But you see, I am a closet tidy person, in some small way.  I've learned.  And it helps to have a furniture maker as a husband, I realise.  

PPPPP week is the key to our customers (friends) enjoying their day of card making.  I've been to a couple of workshops where I've spent more time in preparation than creating and that, if you ask me, is a waste of my money..I don't need lessons in scoring and cutting and I certainly don't wanna pay for the time I spend doing it.  No sir.  Yes sir, that's my opinion.  I know at this stage that Scrap Lady Ally is already finished and fully prepared.  She works full time and so has less time.  Go figure that though..way less time, and she's ready.  I don't know why.  But I've learned from this too.  I don't let it panic me; I simply moan about her efficiency to anyone who'll listen. I tell them that she only does it to show me up. And that it isn't enough to make me panic.  A distraction technique, naturally.  I'm not in a panic per se, but really, can you imagine that even with my PPPPP mantra, anyone will ever be moaning about me because I'm ready before I need to be?

Have a great weekend.